1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote attaching and detaching device, and more specifically, to a remote attaching and detaching device configured to replace a damaged cell camera with a new one under hazardous working conditions to which direct worker access to the in-cell is highly restricted or impossible.
2. Description of the Related Art
The hot cell, a radiation shielding facility, is generally required when handling radioactive materials such as spent nuclear fuel and the like or conducting experiments using the same. However, it is difficult to operate, maintain, or repair the devices installed in the hot cell or a cell treating hazardous chemicals because a worker cannot have access to the in-cell during an operation due to the toxicity of spent nuclear fuel or chemicals. Thus, the cell is generally installed with multiple tele-manipulators to handle such hazardous materials in a remote manner. The tele-manipulators, fixed in pairs on the upper portion of the shielding window of the cell wall, are used to perform remote operation and maintenance work as required in the cell. In addition to the tele-manipulators, a remote robot may be installed on the ceiling of the cell to expand the scope of remote operation and maintenance required in the cell. The remote robot mainly consists of a master arm and a slave arm. The master arm is installed outside the cell, whereas the salve arm is installed inside the cell. The slave arm of remote robot can move up and down traversing the length and width of the ceiling inside the cell. With the application of remote technology, an operator out-of-cell grasps the master arm with his or her hands and controls the slave arm by simply moving the master arm.
The remote technology is very useful for applications in hazardous or extreme working conditions, e.g. environment involving radioactive materials or limited access, obnoxious working environments such as waste disposal sites, or a dangerous work involving the removal of landmines.
Meanwhile, since the scope of vision secured through the multiple windows is very limited, what is required is additional visual information about the progress and condition of the operation performed inside the cell. Therefore, radiation-resistant cameras and standard cameras are generally installed on a moving object or a structure in the cell to acquire more in-cell vision information.
The radiation-resistant cameras or standard cameras mounted on a crane, wall, or a structure in the cell provide visual information about the inside of the cell to a worker through a monitor outside the cell.
However, there is a limitation in that the radiation-resistant cameras or standard cameras may not be suitable to provide more detailed visual in-cell information or situation to the operator located outside the cell. Further, replacing the cameras remotely when broken down may not be easy. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a device that can provide more detailed in-cell visual information to the operator located outside the cell, and allow easy replacement of components for maintenance and repair purposes when necessary.